Promises of the Heart

by Nan Rossiter

  In talking about the process and decisions that went into writing Promises of the Heart, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what was happening at the time. I began to write this story soon after I’d left my agent of eight years and the publisher of my first seven novels. I had the support and wise guidance of a wonderful new agent, but still it was a leap of faith. For the first time in years, I was writing without a contract, and the more time passed, the more I worried and second-guessed my decision. My new agent counseled me to depart from familiar characters and favorite settings and write something new. After silencing my internal protests, I set the story in Savannah, Georgia—and then announced to my husband that I’d have to go there for “research”!

  When I write, I try to create a story that readers will be able to relate to. I touch on real issues, obstacles, and heartaches that everyone faces at some point, and I always try to weave in a thread of faith. When I started writing Promises of the Heart, the first name I typed was Macey, and before I knew it, my strong-willed protagonist was struggling with her fifth miscarriage. While she didn’t seem open to adoption, the influence of her late grandmother made anything seem possible. When I typed Ben’s name, Macey’s overly cautious, hard-working husband came to life and pulled her into a long hug. The stage was set: I had characters with stories to tell, and even though I didn’t know where they or their individual plights had come from, as soon as I typed their names, they knew.

  To make a book—even a work of fiction—truly believable and authentic, there is always some amount of research involved. To verify the details for this book, I researched pediatric heart conditions and their causes. I also met with a pediatrician, a longtime friend who cared for my boys when they were young. Over coffee, we talked about the symptoms Harper would have and what her recovery would be like. While on a road trip with my younger son, Noah, I stopped in Savannah, where we checked out the hot spots mentioned in the book—Goose Feathers Café (where Macey and Maeve have breakfast), Doc’s Bar (site of the impromptu class reunion), Tybee Island Light Station (where Ben and Henry go running), and Tybee Pier (where Ben proposed). We also checked out the Crab Shack and Wet Willie’s—destinations I’m saving for a future book!

  When I’m asked to speak about being an author and about all the trials and triumphs I’ve experienced, I often mention my faith and the role it plays. I am a believer in prayer, patience, and perseverance. I also believe in God’s perfect timing, and even though I frequently questioned how long it was taking to find a new publisher, the stars did finally align!

  I may never know if that young girl vacationing on Cape Cod—who is now probably in her late teens—will ever discover that she inspired a book, but I hope that a stroke of serendipity will allow me to thank her one day for the gift she gave me and all of my readers.

  Macey’s Famous Chocolate Chip Blondies

  INGREDIENTS

  1 cup softened butter (I’ve used whatever I have on hand, salted or unsalted)

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1 cup packed brown sugar (I like dark, but light works, too!)

  1 teaspoon water

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  2 eggs

  2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

  1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

  DIRECTIONS

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  With a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugars, water, and vanilla. Blend in eggs. Sift together dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking soda and add to mix. Blend well. Spread thick dough in a lightly greased 10 ½ x 15 x 1–inch pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until chocolate is melted a little, and marbleize by running a butter knife diagonally through the pan contents several times. Return to oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut.

  Note: If using walnuts, add them to the dough prior to spreading in pan or sprinkle on top with the chocolate chips.

  Get Involved! Organizations and Charities from Promises of the Heart

  THERE ARE SO many ways to care for our communities and show love to those who need it most. As we see through the examples of Harper, Macey, Ben, Cora, and even Grandy, the smallest gestures of generosity can have a big impact. Below you’ll find information about a few of the organizations and charities in Promises of the Heart, but I encourage you to find and support causes you believe in and are inspired by.

  LOCKS OF LOVE

  Locks of Love returns a sense of self-confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss, using donated ponytails to provide the highest-quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children, free of charge.

  https://locksoflove.org/

  ADOPTUSKIDS

  AdoptUSKids is a national project that supports child welfare systems and connects children in foster care with families.

  https://www.adoptuskids.org/

  DONATE LIFE

  Donate Life America is a nonprofit organization working with national partners and Donate Life state teams to increase the number of donated organs, eyes, and tissues available to save and heal lives through transplantation.

  https://www.donatelife.net/

  ADOPT-A-PET.COM

  Adopt-a-Pet.com is North America’s largest nonprofit pet adoption website, helping more than 17,000 shelters, humane societies, SPCAs, pet rescue groups, and pet adoption agencies advertise their homeless pets.

  https://www.adoptapet.com/

  Read On

  Reading Group Guide for Promises of the Heart

  At the beginning of the book, Macey’s heart seems set against adoption. What reasons does she give? Do you agree with her thinking? Why or why not?

  Through Harper’s experience, we get a glimpse of the foster care system. Does this justify Macey’s wariness about becoming a foster parent?

  How do Ben and Macey’s personalities differ? Do you agree with the adage that opposites attract?

  Harper has been bounced from one foster home to another, and, as a result, she has an attitude that makes her difficult to place. Around Cora, though, she acts differently. What changes do you notice in her personality when she’s with Cora? Why do you think she’s willing to open up?

  Harper and Macey both struggle with not being able to control the things happening in their lives. What are some of these events and how do they cope?

  Why does Harper run away? What does she learn from this experience, and why does she decide to return to Cora’s?

  Macey and Maeve are as close as two sisters can be, but, like any sisters, they have their differences. In what way(s) do the two girls differ?

  Although Grandy passed away when Macey was a young girl, she plays a significant role in Macey’s life and in the book. In what way(s) does she influence Macey and affect Macey’s decisions? What does Grandy’s voice represent for Macey? Reflecting on your own life, do you have a loved one—living or dead—whose voice you carry with you? Why do you think that is? What role does this voice play in your life?

  Ben’s unwillingness to take chances is often a bone of contention. What are some examples of this, and in what ways does he change? What thoughts or events trigger these changes?

  Much like Ben, Harper is very cautious, but she slowly opens up to the Samuelsons. What key moments lead up to her ultimately taking a chance on being adopted? How do the changes she goes through complement Ben’s?

  Harper is like Macey in many ways. In fact, Ben says that if he and Macey had had a biological daughter, she’d be just like Harper. What does he mean?

  What role does Keeper play in the story? Do you think Harper would have adjusted to her new home without him? Why do you think Harper loves animals so much?

  Faith and giving are two central themes in the book. In what ways do characters give, and how are they blessed in return?

  The book begins and ends with the image of a candle in th
e window. What does the candle symbolize? How is the tradition of keeping a single candle in a window realized in this story?

  Have you ever felt nudged to step out of your comfort zone to do something positive? Did you take the step? Why or why not? Do you regret your decision?

  Have You Read? More by Nan Rossiter

  THE GIN & CHOWDER CLUB

  * * *

  SET AGAINST THE beautiful backdrop of Cape Cod, The Gin & Chowder Club is an eloquent, tender story of friendship, longing, and the enduring power of love.

  The friendship between the Coleman and Shepherd families is as old and comfortable as the neighboring houses they occupy each summer on Cape Cod. Samuel and Sarah Coleman love those warm months by the water, the evenings spent on their porch enjoying gin and tonics, good conversation, and homemade clam chowder. Here they’ve watched their sons, Isaac and Asa, grow into fine young men, and watched, too, as Nate Shepherd, aching with grief at the loss of his first wife, finally finds love again with the much younger Noelle.

  But beyond the surface of these idyllic gatherings, the growing attraction between Noelle and handsome, college-bound Asa threatens to upend everything. In spite of her guilt and misgivings, Noelle is drawn into a reckless secret affair with far-reaching consequences. And over the course of one bittersweet, unforgettable summer, Asa will learn more than he ever expected about love—the joys and heartache it awakens in us, the lengths to which we’ll go to keep it, and the countless ways it can change our lives forever.

  “Eloquent and surprising . . . I loved this story of faith, love, and the lasting bonds of family.”

  —Ann Leary, author of The Good House

  “Nostalgic and tender . . . summons the passion of first love, the pain of first loss, and the unbreakable bonds of family that help us survive both.”

  —Marie Bostwick, New York Times bestselling author

  WORDS GET IN THE WAY

  * * *

  FROM THE AUTHOR of The Gin & Chowder Club comes an exquisitely heartfelt and uplifting novel that explores the infinite reach of a mother’s love—and the gift of second chances.

  The modest ranch house where Callie Wyeth grew up looks just as she remembers it—right down to the well-worn sheets in the linen closet. But in the years since Callie lived here, almost everything else has changed. Her father, once indomitable, is in poor health. And Callie is a single mother with a beautiful little boy, Henry, who has just been diagnosed with autism.

  Returning to her family’s quiet New Hampshire community seems the best thing to do, for the sake of both her father and her son. Even if it means facing Linden Finch, the one she loved and left, for reasons she’s sure he’ll never forgive. Linden is stunned that Callie is back—and that she has a son. Yet in the warm, funny relationship that develops around Henry and Linden’s menagerie of rescued farm animals, Callie begins to find hope. Not just that her son might break through the wall of silence separating him from the world, but that she too can make a new start amid the places and people that have never left her heart . . .

  “Rossiter’s second novel is an intimate portrayal of a family in crisis, with good character development and a bucolic setting.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  MORE THAN YOU KNOW

  * * *

  BESTSELLING AUTHOR NAN Rossiter weaves a poignant, empowering novel in which three sisters gather to celebrate their mother’s life—and find new inspiration for living their own.

  Losing their father on the night Beryl Graham was born could have torn her family apart. Instead, it knitted them together. Under their mother’s steady guidance, Beryl and her older sisters, Isak and Rumer, shared a childhood filled with happiness. But now Mia Graham has passed away after battling Alzheimer’s, and her three daughters return to their New Hampshire home to say good-bye.

  Swept up in memories and funeral preparations, the sisters catch up on each others’ lives. Rumer and Isak have both known recent heartache, while Beryl has given up hope of marriage. But surprising revelations abound, especially when they uncover Mia’s handwritten memoir. In it are secrets they never guessed at: clandestine romance, passionate dreams, joy, and guilt. And, as Beryl, Rumer, and Isak face a future without her, they realize it’s never too late to heed a mother’s lessons—about taking chances, keeping faith, and loving in spite of the risks.

  “A gripping story of three sisters, of love lost and found, and of a family’s journey from grief to triumph. A sure winner.”

  —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Rossiter’s patient, deliberate pacing makes this one a perfect bedtime read.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Rossiter’s writing style is compelling. The setup of the novel provides a number of passages that tug at the reader’s heartstrings, and the situations evoke realistic compassion.”

  —Houston Chronicle

  UNDER A SUMMER SKY

  * * *

  BESTSELLING AUTHOR NAN Rossiter transports readers to Cape Cod with a warm, compelling story of family, new beginnings, and finding the courage to love honestly and well.

  The old Cape Cod house that Laney Coleman shares with her minister husband, Noah, and their five boys is usually brimming with cheerful chaos. There’s nothing fancy about the ancient kitchen or the wooden floors scuffed by the constant parade of activity and the clicking claws of their two Labrador retrievers. It’s a place to savor the sea breeze wafting through the windows, or sip coffee on the porch before another hectic day begins. This summer, life promises to be even busier than usual, because Noah’s younger brother, Micah, wants to hold his upcoming wedding on their property.

  Although thrilled that Micah has found happiness after past heartache, Laney is apprehensive about having her home turned upside down. She has other concerns, too—her youngest son is being bullied at school, and Noah’s father is not the robust patriarch he once was, in mind or body. As the bride and groom’s large, close-knit families gather, there will be joyful celebration but also unexpected sorrows and revelations, and a chance to store up a lifetime of memories during the fleeting, precious days of summer.

  “The setting, with its sea breeze and quaint charm, is immediately inviting, adding to the overall sense of familiarity that the author so beautifully evokes. . . . [T]o read this book is to feel like you’ve come home.”

  —John Valeri, Hartford Books Examiner

  NANTUCKET

  * * *

  FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR Nan Rossiter comes a tender, moving story of rekindled passion, set amidst the timeless beauty of Nantucket.

  More than twenty-five years ago, Liam Tate and Acadia McCormick Knox fell in love. It was summer on Nantucket, and seventeen-year-old Liam knew that wealthy, college-bound Cadie was way out of league for a local boy who restored boats with his uncle. Yet the two became inseparable, seizing every chance to slip away in Liam’s runabout to secluded spots, far from the world that was trying to keep them apart.

  After Cadie returned home to New York and discovered she was pregnant, her parents crushed any hope of communicating with the boy she’d left behind. The silence that greeted Liam’s calls and letters couldn’t change his heart, but over the years he’s settled into a simple, solitary life in his rambling beachfront house. Now he’s learned that Cadie is returning to Nantucket for the opening of her son’s art show. Over a weekend of revelations and poignant memories, Cadie and Liam have an opportunity to confront the difference time can make, the truths that never alter, and the bittersweet second chances that arrive just in time to steer a heart back home.

  “There are moments of pure gold in the story that will undoubtedly touch readers’ hearts. With wonderful characters and a charming idyllic setting, Nantucket does pack an emotional wallop along the lines of a good Kristan Higgins book.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  FIREFLY SUMMER

  * * *

  BESTSELLING AUTHOR NAN Rossiter’s touching new novel reunites four
sisters at their childhood vacation spot on Cape Cod—where they uncover the truth about a past tragedy to find their future as a family.

  The close-knit Quinn siblings enjoyed the kind of idyllic childhood that seems made for greeting cards, spending each summer at Whit’s End, the family’s home on Cape Cod. Then comes the summer of 1964, warm and lush after a rainy spring—perfect firefly weather. Sisters Birdie, Remy, Sailor, Piper, and their brother, Easton, delight in catching the insects in mason jars to make blinking lanterns. Until, one terrible night, tragedy strikes.

  Decades later, the sisters have carved out separate lives on the Cape. Through love and heartbreak, health issues, raising children, and caring for their aging parents, they have supported each other, rarely mentioning their deep childhood loss. But one evening, as they congregate at Whit’s End to watch the sun set, the gathering fireflies elicit memories of that long-ago night, and a tumult of regrets, guilt, and secrets tumble out.

  Poignant yet hopeful, Firefly Summer is an uplifting story of the resilience of sisterhood and the bright glimpses of joy and solace that, like fireflies after rain, can follow even the deepest heartaches.

  SUMMER DANCE